Author: Tillie and Matt

Here at Tillie and Matt, this summer has been about getting stuck in to our newest venture – baby showers!

We love kids’ parties but fancied trying something a little bit different. Over the past few years we have enjoyed watching the children we entertain as they grow up. Entertaining the siblings of some of our first customers has been lovely; we feel like part of the family and it’s such an honour to be trusted again and again. It got us thinking – what if we could throw a party for these children even before they were born?

At Tillie and Matt we are all about putting the fun into the party and why shouldn’t the mums have a little fun too? So now we’re adding to our repertoire a uniquely styled baby shower with your individual tastes in mind.

Game preparations

Our first client was Sasha from Godalming in Surrey. She was very clear that she wanted a fun party that she and her guests would treasure. She and her husband will soon be moving away so it was extra special and important. She explained that she wanted a fun afternoon but a non-tacky theme. Also, although she and her husband knew that they were having a baby girl, they were keen for the party not to fall into boring gender stereotypes. As we talked more, we learnt that Sasha and her husband’s relationship had been long distance at the beginning and that both had got tiny, matching duck tattoos to remind them of each other. We decided that this symbol of their love would be a perfect (secret) theme for Sasha’s baby shower and so rubber duck gathering began!

As an added bonus, the venue had a swimming pool fitting perfectly with the duck theme. Take a look at some of the fun we had.

The shower began with Rubber duck Mocktails or Mimosas and the first game, ‘My waters have broken’, was an icebreaker in more ways than one. Each glass had an ice cube with a tiny ‘baby’ frozen inside. The winner was the first person to shout ‘My waters have broken’ when the baby melted from the ice cube.

Guess the baby? We got each guest to send us a baby photo of themselves.

Bespoke baby bibs designed by your guests – a fun and creative activity that’s also a practical keepsake.

Nappy practice – guaranteed to raise a laugh as guests are asked to make a giant nappy from a loo roll!

Measuring Sasha’s bump to determine the winner of ‘What size is Mummy’s tummy?’

Guests rack their brains whilst playing the ABC baby name game.

Sophia comparing a hilarious game of ‘Name that baby tune’

Some of the winners from the nursery rhyme-inspired treasure hunt that had the guests running round the house and garden like five-year-olds.

Sasha ‘s baby shower was a great success, topped off nicely with some pool games, though I have promised not to post any photos of the ladies’ amazing synchronised swimming!

Baby showers are a great opportunity for families and friends to pass on knowledge, tips and love to the new mummy-to-be.

At Tillie and Matt we’re always looking to give our parties an original twist. We love it when a parent comes up with a new idea for which they’d like us to create a unique and fun-filled party.

Recently, we were asked to do a ‘Fairy Birthday Party’ for a six-year-old. Ten lovely girls in total . . . and what fun we had!

Sea shells and pebbles used in the fairy gardens

The party took place in the birthday girl’s garden and the weather was beautiful (they did have a gazebo in case of rain but it wasn’t needed). We kicked off with flower fairy and butterfly face painting for all the girls, time to play on the swings and dance to our sound track, followed by fairy-themed dancing games and a traditional ‘pass the parcel’ with prizes for everyone. Then it was time for a fairy- themed scavenger hunt around the garden. Together with Flo the Flower Fairy (the entertainer), the children worked as a team to solve rhyming couplets and discover the hiding place of the next clue. This ended with the discovery of a hidden box containing a tiny bottle of magic fairy dustfor each child and a tub of sweets. The children then created their own fairy garden in which to hide the fairy dust.

Step one – starting out

Now a chance for everyone to use their imagination! We gave an empty tub to each child, which they filled with soil, planted a flower and created a little pond filled with water. With a little help from Flo and some of the parents the children created their own unique gardens. They used shells, pebbles, white rocks, painted mushrooms, fairy houses, glass balls and tiny fences. Finally, they hid their fairy dust. We were so impressed at how detailed and beautiful they made their gardens look. Proof that age is just a number and with imagination and a few basic materials you can do anything.

We rounded off the party with bubbles and glitter tattoos as the girls ate.

One of the fairy gardens created by the children

We think it’s safe to say this was a ‘fairytastic’ party full of fun!

Please get in touch if you’d like a fairy garden party, or if you want us to create something entirely bespoke with your child in mind!

Call us now on mobile 07 591 607 572 or office 0203 509 1839
or 01273 236486. Or email us.

We know that kids’ parties can get expensive, what with venue hire, entertainer’s costs, food, cakes and the party bags, but we also know that you want to give your children the very best party you possibly can – and some year’s years ‘bigger’ is better!

Have you ever thought of a shared party? Is there another child in your son or daughter’s class with a birthday at a similar time? If so, why not think about having a shared party? The chances are, they’ll be inviting a lot of the same children anyway and other parent’s parents will certainly thank you for saving them from spending their precious weekend ferrying the kid’s kids from party to party!

Tillie and Matt will endeavour to make sure that both children are made to feel equally special by ensuring we include games and music that are suited to each child’s individual taste’s tastes. After all, every child is unique.

To help you out even more, if you quote: “Two is better than one” when booking with us we will waive the £5.00 additional Birthday child fee.

To help you get the best out of your child’s party with minimal effort, here are a few ideas we’ve picked up from the parties we’ve entertained at. We kick off with food and drink but we’ll be sharing more tips on other topics so check our Facebook page regularly . . .

Our experienced entertainers will always be in character

Food and drink

There’s always lots of dancing at a Tillie & Matt party so make sure you’ve plenty of drinks on hand. Cartons of juice or small water bottles with sports caps will help to reduce the chance of spillages.

From our experience, eating’s not always a priority when you’re small and having fun at a party. Don’t stress yourself out by preparing loads of food that simply won’t get eaten. Instead, why not prepare each child his/her own meal in a personal party box. Expect to pay around 40 pence per box (lots to choose from online), and then fill them up with bite-size food, such as a sandwich, crisps and cheese strings. Then maybe display fruit slices and cupcakes on the table for ‘afters’.

But if you want a more traditional spread, here are some ideas we’ve picked up from other mums

Cucumber and carrot sticks with hummus – a huge hit at a party we entertained at recently. Use tiny, disposable shot glasses and fill each one with a spoonful of hummus, a carrot and a cucumber stick. I was amazed to see how well they went down.

Pizza is always popular and easy – kids usually love it and parents will polish off any leftovers! To make it even less stressful, order them from your local take-out but remember to get them delivered at least 10 to 15 minutes before you really want them in case the delivery is late.

Fairy sandwiches – small triangles of bread covered with butter and some coloured sprinkles.

Marshmallows dipped in chocolate – an alternative to cupcakes. With a sweetie stuck on top this is Tillie’s favourite!

Crisps – naughty but still a firm favourite and ‘Pom Bears’ are especially popular with the under-sevens.

Birthday cake – we’ve noticed that a small, modest cake is often used for the candles and then each child is given a cupcake or cake pop to eat at the party or take away. This is a great idea as children are more likely to finish one of these. There are lots of fantastic cake-makers creating incredible designs and we have several favourites if you want a recommendation. Personally though, I always remember the cakes my mum made me. Sometimes they dipped in the middle or were a little burnt around the edge but she used to turn them into my favourite thing at that time. I had a swimming pool, ballet class, theatre stage, a farm – all far from perfect but in my eyes they were the best cakes in the world!

Party bags – I’ve seen all kinds of gifts in party bags: from books, to backpacks and helium balloons, to hand-wrapped sweetie bags or little plastic toys. I’ve noticed that children will appreciate anything at the end of the party and are often more excited about the cake inside the bag. It really doesn’t need to be expensive!

There’s a big choice of small toys and other gifts available – from online party gift suppliers to the cheapie high street favourites and the big supermarket chains. Museum and art gallery gift shops, farm shops and some charity shops, usually have a great range of inexpensive and unusual gifts, sometimes on a particular theme.

Follow us on Facebook for more tips and ideas from the parties we entertain at.

Call us now on mobile 07 591 607 572 or office 0203 509 1839
or 01273 236486. Or email us.

Tillie & Matt is a party company with a difference. We are a small, family-run business that really cares about creating a perfect party and knows the importance of getting it just right.

The Disney Princess entertains . . .

We (Sophia & Matt) met at East 15 School of Acting back in 2005. While pursuing our acting, writing and music careers we have also worked as teaching and speech and language assistants with children in London primary schools. We have both enjoyed working in theatre, music, films, adverts and TV shows. (You may remember Matt from the popular TV show Hollyoaks). Matt’s mum (a retired primary school head teacher) suggested we might enjoy volunteering to run the summer parties at her school. As we all know, mothers always know best and this set us on the path to developing Tillie & Matt.

Our company has gone from strength to strength because it is a passion as well as an income. We are still very hands-on, delivering parties and education packages, not only because it’s such good fun but also because we believe that we can only maintain the high standard of parties by being out there and keeping up to date with the children of this generation.

Tillie & Matt is named for Sophia’s late maternal grandmother and for Matt. Both Avril and Chris (Sophia’s parents) help to coordinate the day-to-day running of the company.

Through our contacts in both the acting and teaching professions we have built a team of committed and outstanding entertainers, including our head entertainer, Hannah. As well as being a talented actor (BBC radio and television), Hannah is very experienced in working professionally with young children.

We have a huge variety of parties to choose from and offer entertainment for ages one to 11 years. If you have something specific in mind that you can’t find on our site, please contact us – we love devising bespoke parties. Tillie & Matt’s imagination and meticulous planning are the perfect combination for creating something special that is tailored uniquely to your child.

Call us now on mobile 07 591 607 572 or office 0203 509 1839
or 01273 236486. Or email us.